In need of a chill pill? Just have a laugh

Laughter is the sound of happiness.

We all want to be happy and we all like to laugh.

Laughter, like medicine, heals. But unlike medicine there is no bitter aftertaste.

Laughter is contagious, but unlike a destructive disease, it spreads joy.

Laughter makes you feel good. It scours out sadness; it lifts clouds; it makes the sun shine.

Mark Twain wrote: "Humour is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation, and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place."

He's right. When laughter crops up we feel free. Also, it brings people together. Like sharing a joke, laughter shares our happiness. When we laugh together, we're sharing a trust. Who would've thought that cracking up was so good for you?

Knock knock/ Who's there? Even in this cliche{aac} joke style, there is quite a complex level of communication. Something is offered ("knock, knock") and responded to ("who's there?"); the process is repeated a second time for the punch line and laughter.

Such a joke asks for instant rapport, a shared love of word play and a desire to satisfy. This is in miniature what we essentially want from each other as human beings: to share an understanding, to be worthy of each other's trust.

Laughter makes you feel good. Psychologically, that's a plus. It relaxes you and boosts your confidence. It helps you cope.

My choir performed recently at the Big Sing concert. We were very nervous before going onstage.

But instead of going deathly quiet, people whispered light jokes about what might go wrong and what the audience might do.

There was a lot of merriment, which bonded us before stepping on stage, making us feel more daring and energised. We went on stage wanting to sing well. The jokes behind the curtain had drained away the tension.

Laughter is magnetic. If you laugh, it's sure to catch on. As I was writing this, my mum and dad began to tell funny stories that they knew.

Mum told one about a woman who came to the door collecting for the Salvation Army. Mum told her she liked her uniform. "But it's not a uniform," the woman replied.

Dad told a story about a school inspector who had a very big nose and how the teacher spent all day hoping her pupils wouldn't comment on it. When the kids went home she relaxed and made the inspector a cup of tea, then asked him: "Dr Smith, do you have sugar with your nose?"

Laughter also improves your physical health. It releases endorphins that boost your immune system, protecting your heart by increasing blood flow, helping to prevent heart attacks.

Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases an infection-fighting protein in your blood.

Laughter relaxes tense muscles, lowers blood pressure and even burns off calories. So it's got to be good for you!

Humour has always helped people get through hard times.

In World War II, for example, when London was being bombed, neighbours would gather in the Underground stations to keep safe, and would sing and laugh while the world they knew was being blown apart.

They coped by "keeping their pecker up".

In Christchurch, earthquake jokes abound as a way of getting through.

Laughter alleviates anxiety and brings calm in chaos. It helps people regain perspective when things are getting out of control. It makes you feel more in control of your world.

Laughter lets you live in the moment, the here and now - just as colourfully as Bugs Bunny's pranks or the intrigues of a TV sitcom.

Laughter means fun, and we all need fun.

And there are lots of different types of humour - black humour, slapstick, and irony.

There is something for everybody. So next time someone says you are a giggly Year 10, take it as a compliment. Keep laughing and carry on!

Polly Hoskins, Year 10, Palmerston North Girls' High